September can’t come soon enough for the Westlock Thunderbirds football club.
The team is ready for regular season action following the completion of its spring camp program, which concluded with a May 28 jamboree at Westlock Elementary School.
Teams from Whitecourt, Fort Saskatchewan, Cold Lake and Vegreville played in the tournament which featured half-field mini-games designed to simulate regular season play, with teams switching between offence and defence.
“We were really pleased with a lot of things. The weather cooperated and all the teams that were out had the right mindset,” said T-Birds’ head coach Jon Kramer. “It’s important to do the jamboree because you’re in a real-live situation. It’s not that controlled stuff we do in practice … it’s really the perfect was to end off the spring camp.”
The mini-games, Kramer said, are especially important for the new players, many of which have never played a down of football.
“With so many of our kids being brand new to football, to know the ebbs and flows of how it goes. There’s just so many neat thing about football you can’t learn until you’re in the thick of it,” Kramer said.
“Most ball sports, everyone chases the ball, but in football you kind of have to do the opposite. Most of what we speak in spring only becomes real once they’re actually on the field with their teammates.”
Having now been established in the community for more than a decade, the football program saw a surge in spring enrolment this year after the departure of a large graduating class.
“Our enrolment was kind of off the charts this year. We were into the mid fifties for players, and of all the players, 32 were first-year players,” Kramer said.
With sights now set on the fall season, Kramer said he looks forward to coaching an eager group of players.
“Over the years we’ve gotten a little bit better at judging talent and we’ve got a real good, young crew,” he said.
If they’re receptive to the coaching, we’re certainly going to win a few games and have a lot of fun.”
